Kyle Hillcoat

Kyle grew up in Bundaberg Queensland, Australia. Coming from a family involved in the Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery (CRFFF) and with a love of fishing himself, he completed his Bachelor of Science majoring in Marine Biology at James Cook Universities Townsville campus. After getting a taste of Fisheries Science during his undergrad, Kyle promptly focused his sights toward postgraduate studies. This began with a Graduate Certificate in Research Methods under the supervision of Professor Garry Russ where he investigated long-term benthic drivers upon predatory coral reef fishes in the Phillipines. This then led into JCU’s Master’s by Research Degree. Gratefully under the supervision of Professor Garry Russ, Professor Geoffrey Jones and in conjunction with Queensland Governments Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Kyle’s project aims to investigate latitudinal effects on the demography of three key recreational and commercial fishes, the red emperor, saddletail snapper and crimson snapper along the Queensland Coast. His findings will provide valuable insight into the future management of Queensland’s CRFFF.